Race Report: Double Dipsea

It has come and gone so quickly!  The Double Dipsea that is.  This past weekend we went down to Marin for the race of all races - the Double Dipsea.  The course was brutal with over 4,000 feet of elevation, 670+ stairs, trees/bushes/roots/ditches, and so much more.  Not to mention the poison oak that is now plaguing both of my legs - OUCH!  Or should I say ... itch.

This race was hard.  Really hard.  Going in I just wanted to finish.  During the race I had moments where my internal voice was literally going back and forth between "you can do it," "this is a F'ing race - no walking," and "have fun, take it easy."  With the brambly course I honestly didn't have too much time to think, though - most of my time was spent thinking "right foot, left foot, oh!  ditch, look out."

One of the things I was totally in awe of was the other runners.  I have never seen such a group of elite athletes mixed with the lifers.  There were more iron man shirts than I've ever seen in one place.  The real awe, though, came at the start of the race.  It was a tiered start by age with the 80+ group starting about an hour before my group.  Among the first runners were two women who were 75-79 (according to their tier) and they were roaring to go.

The stairs of course were one of the many toughys in the race.  Here's a look: